Luigi Circuit
Luigi Circuit (also called Luigi Raceway and Luigi Circuit in Japan) is a recurring course in the ''Mario Kart'' series, first featured in Mario Kart 64. The music of this course is shared with Mario Raceway, Wario Stadium, and Royal Raceway, and is used as an arrangement for the Mario Circuit stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. ''Mario Kart 64'' Luigi Raceway makes its first appearance in Mario Kart 64 and is the first course of the Mushroom Cup. The course features no hazards, save for small rough terrain areas that are located all over the track. The course is long and simple, featuring open turns through which the player may employ powersliding to accelerate faster. The race begins near a grand stand full of cheering audience, atop which is a large model of the Luigi Cap. Following a long straightway and a wide banked turn to the left is a long road to a long overhang, followed by another long curve to the left and a short straightway leading back to the starting line, which happens to be part of the longest straightway in the course. During the race, a balloon depicting Luigi's head dips onto the course at the end of the first straightway, hanging an Item Box beneath. The item is always a Spiny Shell and may be obtained if a racer hops at the right time just as the balloon reaches its lowest point of descent. The course does not have any notable shortcut, but it is possible to save few seconds by cutting across the grass and sand on the turns while using a Mushroom or a Star. Course Ghost If a player beats the time of 1:52:00 on this course in Time Trial mode, he or she unlocks a Luigi Staff ghost. ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'' Luigi Circuit again appeared in Mario Kart: Super Circuit as its second appearance. It is the first course to have rainy weather, the next one being Neo Bowser City. The course is rather long, having multiple twists and turns. The course is rather difficult, and is not recommended for beginners. In the background, there is white building showing numbers 64 and 65. The blimp showing Luigi can be seen. Luigi Circuit again appeared in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! as first track of Mushroom Cup. Its shape resembles number 8. It is very simple, and is ideal for beginners. The course has 2 turns, each of them having boost zippers. As the track does not have guardrails, players may cheat in this course by making U-turn and ignoring the turns. If you cheat, Lakitu may force you to make U-turn again and get back on course. Chain Chomp can be seen in middle of the race. He will try to obstruct players' progress by lunging at them, so a caution is required to avoid being hit by him. Luigi's blimp can be seen in the air. However the blimp always stays in the air and does not have an item box - just like what happened in the previous game. At the beginning of the race, Luigi's yellow garage (possibly pits) can be seen, making the whole course resemble a typical F1 race. It also appears in Mario Kart DS (see below for more info). ''Mario Kart DS'' Luigi Circuit returns in Mario Kart DS, as the third course of the Leaf Cup. The shortcut has been removed. The blimp now starts to take off in the start of the race. The numbers on the two hangars have been changed into 00's. The course was never available in Wi-Fi mode. It is also the final course of the Shell Cup. This rendition of Luigi Circuit is almost identical to the original, although the long straightaways are notably wider and the shortcuts were removed. The barrier that was seen in 50cc in the original version has been removed completely. The blimp as seen in the GBA version of Luigi Circuit is also visible, but only in the demo version of the game. The background has also been reduced to a flat image instead of actual models. The course was playable over the game's Wi-Fi. Staff ghost 1:29.759 using Luigi in the Poltergust 4000. Shortcuts *Before the second-to-last turn, the player can use a Mushroom or Star to boost through the gap in the crash barrier on the left. ''Mario Kart Wii'' Luigi Circuit, which is a simple, straight-forward starting course of the Mushroom Cup in Mario Kart Wii gives an idea of how the game can start your abilities. The long straight that runs parallel to the finish line has an off-road ramp on the left-hand side with a power-up on it, but you'll need a boost from a Mushroom or a Star in order to reach it. Try to use the speed pads on the final wide bend for a huge jolt that will see you through to the finish line. Plenty of straights also make this circuit full of opportunities for using a Wheelie Boost when riding a bike. Shortcuts *A small ramp is located in the sand on the left hand side of the straight approaching the Dash Panel section, which requires a speed boosting item to use without losing speed. Two Item Boxes are located on this ramp during Grand Prix mode. *The last turn can also be cut off by using a speed boosting item and driving across the sand. Staff ghosts The regular staff ghost for Luigi Circuit has a time of 1:29.670, using Luigi in the Sprinter. The expert staff ghost is unlocked if the player gets a time of 1:26.394 or less, with a time of 1:19.419 using Luigi on the Mach Bike. The expert staff ghost for this course is the only one in the game that uses a slower vehicle than their respective regular staff ghost. Tournaments Three different tournaments took place on Luigi Circuit. Tournament 1 The first Luigi Circuit tournament was a Karts only Grand Prix without any Items and was restricted to Wii Wheels only. It took place as the second tournament of October 2008, and it was repeated as the second tournament of October 2010. Tournament 2 The second Luigi Circuit tournament took place at sunset as seen in the credits, and was a Grand Prix race with no restrictions, though Bob-omb Cars were added to the track. This tournament was the first tournament of May 2009. Tournament 3 The third Luigi Circuit tournament was the same as the first, but instead was restricted to Bikes only. It took place as the first tournament of March 2010. ''Mario Kart 7'' The track appears again in Mario Kart 7, as the first race in the Shell Cup. It is mostly unchanged, except the hot air balloon has been moved and a Mii character is inside the basket, and the item box hanging below it that always gave out a Spiny Shell has been replaced with a regular item box. An alternate way has also been added on the platforms next to the curves that were inaccessible in Mario Kart 64, and it has Dash Panels on them. This is one of two Luigi courses that appear in the Shell Cup, the other being DS Luigi's Mansion. Sponsors ''Mario Kart 64'' *Koopa Air (Trackside banners) *Luigi's (Trackside banners) *Mario Star (Trackside banners) *Nintendo (Trackside banners) *Shot! (Trackside banners) *Yoshi (Trackside banners) ''Mario Kart: Double Dash!!/''Mario Kart DS *Luigi Grand Prix (Trackside banners) *Luigi Racing Team (Signs) *Luigi Tires (Trackside banners) *Mario Kart (Trackside banners) *Mario Racing (Trackside banners) *Nintendo (Signs) *Shoot!! (Trackside banners) *Super Mario (Trackside banners) ''Mario Kart 7'' *KoopaKart (Trackside banners) *Luigi Grand Prix (Trackside banners) *Nintendo (Trackside banners) *Shoot! (Trackside banners) *Super Mario (Trackside banners) *Yoshi (Trackside banners) ''Mario Kart Wii'' *Luigi Kart (Trackside banners) *Luigi Tires (Trackside banners) *Nintendo (Trackside banners) *Shooting Star (Trackside banners) Official Descriptions *''Mario Kart 64'' *'Instruction Booklet:' "Long straightaways and easy corners -- the perfect course for beginners to practice their sliding." Mario Kart 64'' webpage:' ''A fine track for beginners. https://web.archive.org/web/19980205065149/http://www.nintendo.com:80/n64/mario_kart64/mushcup.html '''''Mario Kart: Double Dash!! *'Instruction Booklet:' "Though the Chain Chomp is a bit noisy, this is a relatively peaceful course. The front straight and back straight run parallel to each other, so you'll see your rivals coming and going. Whether you opt for the outside line and the dash panels or cut it close and stay on the inside track is up to you." *'US Website:' "A great beginner’s course, Luigi Circuit has long straightaways and big, loping curves on either end." *'European Website:' "Long and lanky, like Luigi himself, Luigi Circuit is also home to a Chain Chomp that snaps at any racers who dare to come close." Mario Kart DS *'European Site:' "If the non-stop rain doesn't dampen your spirits, the skid-inducing puddles certainly will. Luigi's second namesake course couldn't be more different from the first; with seven hairpin bends and a pair of chicanes that will test your power-sliding powers to the max." *'European Website:' "Named after the taller of the two Mario brothers, Luigi Circuit aptly features two long straights where you can really put your foot down. These are topped and tailed by two banking curves covered with Dash Panels. But watch out for the hungry Chain Chomps!" Mario Kart Wii *'Site' ** "A great all-around starter track. Drifting through the boost pads banked around the final turn is a rush." ** "Listen to the roar of the crowd! A stand full of Miis will cheer you on as you hurtle round Luigi Circuit, where the final corner could decide the outcome..." *'Guide' "Luigi has been busy creating an excellent "starter" track, and the long stretches allow you to master your drifts (karts) and wheelies (bikes) while jostling for position. Make sure you cut in on all the corners, learn the "racing line," and don't forget that there are more shortcuts than you think!" Trivia *This is the only Luigi themed course that has yet to reappear as a retro course (as the GCN and ''GBA'' versions of Luigi Circuit reappeared in Mario Kart DS, and the N64 version]] and Luigi's Mansion reappeared in Mario Kart 7). *The layout of the circuit resembles the layout of the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. References Category:Mario Kart courses Category:Mario Kart 64 courses Category:Mario Kart: Super Circuit courses Category:Mario Kart: Double Dash‼ courses Category:Mario Kart DS courses Category:Mario Kart Wii courses Category:Mario Kart 7 courses